The oldest member of the Pahīatua Bowling Club kicks off the first game with a bowl in honour of the club's 125th birthday.
Past and present members of Pahīatua Bowling Club went along last weekend to help the club celebrate 125 years.
Members played a few ends, competing for the Daphne Watts trophy, and had a special afternoon tea afterwards to celebrate.
President Jo Bissett says the club may not have fancy clubrooms and artificial turf but with 30 members it was “in good heart”.
The club has seen a few changes in 125 years.
The clubroom was once a school building from the Pahīatua camp which housed the Polish children from 1944, according to club patron Roy Jury.
He says it was a pre-fabricated building, moved there by the army.
“So pulling it to bits was pretty simple and putting it back together was just having the manpower and the knowhow to do it.”
It was in 1899 when some of the men in Pahīatua St got together to start a bowling club, but it took two or three meetings to finally get something started.
The first-ever game was played at a property in Wakeman St but Roy says at some stage it was shifted to Tararua St.
Then, about 1960, it moved to Paterson St.
Roy had done some research into the history of the club and says the property on Paterson St was originally the Pahīatua Tennis Club.
Another club was formed at Mangamutu and eventually the members of the tennis club moved on to that one and the property fell back into the county council’s hands, so it was then offered to the bowling club.
Back then, the club was booming, especially following World War II.
Many of the men would give their time working on the grounds to get the greens in the condition they are now.
“It was very successful,” Roy says.
But around the late 1980s, membership tapered off and they closed off one green as they didn’t have enough players to use two of them.
Roy says they were lucky to have dedicated greenskeepers who would use a mower to cut not only the greens, but the surrounding grounds and eventually the club was able to raise enough funds to buy a ride-on mower.
Women were allowed to join the club in 1948, but for many years they played on separate days from the men.
While bowling can be a competition, Roy says it depends on how competitive a person is.
“If you like to win everything, you go out and play like hell.
“If you’re not too fussy, you go out, talk, throw a bowl down and talk a bit more and throw another bowl.”
He says for years lawn bowls was considered “an old man’s game” but, especially in the bigger clubs, younger players are joining.
“They’re very competitive. It’s a different ball game for them.”
But Roy adds when club members go out, 10 minutes after the games they’re not sure who won.
“I’ve enjoyed my time playing here,” he says. “It’s a good, friendly club.”
